Swimming-course.



1. W. LIPPINCOTT.

SWIMMING COURSE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. e, IsIa.

1 ,285,259. Patented N ov. 19, 1918.

.UNITED STATES PATENT onirica JOHN W. LIPPINCOTT, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-ESCALE T0 CARRIE A. LIPPINCOTT. OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

swIMMING-counsn.

Specicat'ion of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

Application led March 6, 1918. Serial No. 220,884.

To aZZ whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN W. LlrPrNco'rr, a citizen of the United States, residingl at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski, State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Swimming-Courses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to endless swimming courses, and the objects thereof are to make swimming resorts more attractive to swimmers, and to afford a safe and easy means for the masses to learn to swim, and thereby popularize this sport, and to encourage and develop the much neglected art of swimming, and I attain these ob]ects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l1 illustrates a plan view of a swimming course.

Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of a pump to be used for producing a surface current, and showing that the water is to betdrawn from below and discharged at or near the surface. y

Fig. 3 illustrates a front view of a gate which may be used as a ood or controlling gate in the head flume, and as a retaining or conserving gate in a wasteway.

Fig. 4 illustrates a front view of a gate with a chute therethrough and a part thereof.v

Fig. 5 illustrates a side view of a housing for a surface current producing pump if it was desired to place such a pump near or below water level. v

Similar letters and numerals refer to .similar parts throughout the several drawumerals l to 14 illustrate parallel fiumes, each connected one to another in the order in which they are numbered by return and reverse bends, number 1 being considered the head, and number 14 the tail, and said flumes are constructed on; a uniformly sloping grade from head to tail in order to induce a gravity flow of water in the direction indicated by the arrows, z'. e. from head to tail when water is allowed `to run into said head fiume. A chute 15 is provided in a gate 36 which is situated in the partition wall separating the tail and head lumes between two points indicated by a and a, and

as the tail flume is on a lower level than the head Hume a pump 16 is required to produce and enforce a surface current of water through'said 'chute to afford swimmers a swimmable passageway from the tail fiume into the head fiume, and therefore an endless swimming course, or a number of various lengthed swimming courses, each terminable near starting point, which is considered to the steps 17 and 17 near the dressing rooms 18. Steps 19 to 24 are provided at each of the reverse bends which are near the starting point and' dressing rooms, and steps 25 to 28 are approaches to raised bridges 29 and 30 which span the tail and head flumes respectively.

The pump 16 is so situated, piped, and valved that it may draw water from the bottom of either the head ume or the tank 31 and discharge said water at or near the surface of the water inthe tail fiume and 1n the direction of and of sufficient volume and force to produce a surface current into and through the chute 15 to overcome the natural gravitational tendency of the water to flow from the head through said chute into the tail flume on account of said tail fiume being lower than said head fiume, and thereby afford swimmers a swimmable passageway through said chute. This chute however should only be deep enough and wideenough to accommodate individuals so that the pump will only be required to handle a small quantity of water. as only a surface current is required to make this chute swimmable. If however the supply of water was entirely stopped it would only be necessary to close the gate 33 at the head and the gate 33 at the Wasteway 32 to retain the swimming course full of standing water, then the gate 36 could bevopened and a surface current of any desired velocity4 veiociy said pumps imuid eilig* be ieqiiiiei i0 bandi e ieiativei! siiiziii piepoi'tieii of the Whole volume of im'sei in said swimx ming; ceuise, and iie giezief *die iiuiiibei" of pumps bhe more uniform the Cuiien, and iie easier to mziiiitaiii a. giifeii cuieiiiz. The pump 16 is provide@ Wibii 'valves and 35 S0 tiia' saisi pump may eii'ziw fiom die head fiume but when nii di pumps Working to produce iiiecmnicai ciieulation said pump 1G should be vaived to dmv? Waer imm ihe aiik Si? anni. all el the pumps 3'? may be piped to die?? Weei; imm said mili 3i. eddle Wheels could iso be iiouse to lei Waei from beiev and out iii-e iop and ioieied 0 pfociuee a surface curei' The 35 @Gis oiiiy es e. pziiiioii mii Aeen iiie mii and hemd umes when *die swimming couise suppiie with ginevpeiieuiai piece iii order io obtain e iaigei Opening iii sni imii 'iiaii is aifeied by ""i @buie when it is desiied i0 mechanically enforce a ennemi iiiieugiioiit seici swimmiig emiirse.

The function of me con roiiiiigg gate T3 iii she head Hume is 1 he Aeiime ci Wai/ei iii ease of Leed., and iii- The funcfieii othe Wasiewej 32 is Y 'iie swimming ceme'e in cese suppiy, 0i i@ ifeiaiii said s fidi iii Cese 5P/e, suppijf 'Weis en' The 'mii i ume disch "J- i which may be' ii iizeii z poses7 sucii es @iiiifiies epe perimeii: fm soeciai peiiies, diifing heleE eis.E uiiiized ihiougii The means scribed Wiil eei swimmeis anni Weil easy and seize to su" medei'ete iowiiig any @ne een ie eiiced e pieesure swim dawn siieem iii :i ez i meee and iis membei such g @ii en ideal e ii sien@ 'alim ieei, yaffs, 13" with ease i 1 swim iii! HOW of Wa'ei, and is iiisaiieci in thisY .ei/ing iiius ciesciibed my invention Win13 Claim end desire potected by Letteis Fattiie Uiiiieci States isl. eombineiion iii e swimming course f. m icijL city of parallel 'flumes Connected in Sefies by femm ieveise bends, ai-

swimmers iheii choice of Vefious ieiigtiie swimming eouisese each couise 'tere minable nem staining point, a chute coileouse il. The combination iii swimming @Quise iiiiiicity pafaiiei umes @ennesii. eiioiiiei emi manie eoiitiiiuous Toy ieuiii en@ reverse bends and seid @onimusus @W @suisse mede eiiess by a lonssagemy rem gie iaii i@ lie need iheieoii, and means ci maintaining; a contimmiis and ess sui'fziee aliment ef Water iiii'ough passageway engi 'bqougheut seid swimcom e) sunieien ifeiociiy to maieiiaiiy id swimmers, and theieby affording an endless sw' ming Coufse, @if

down stieam SW ming but epi-ionie e" a miiiiipiicity of neef point; nation in e swimming eeuwse, i of Uaieiiei iumes @ennesicoiiiiiuous by euiii and fegiaded is induce e gsm/'ity ein be Head "'0 the mii9 e ee i ii iiie iieaei. v fiom said.

@ugh said hete ii in swimmiiig fiume vily 0?? mi iii-ereee o" euie @miei mile Wi'i' fue e, Coun iefe 61am ibineiie lie ne' mi seid heed e sr swimming @Guise umee, each eene continuous by couse 'delle 1,285,259 i c g 1"', f

connecting the tail flume' with the .head fiume, a pump to produce and maintain a surface current of sufficient velocity to materiallyv aid swimmers through said chute, and a multiplicity of such pumps disposed at suitable points in said course to produce and maintain a, surface current throughout all)7 terminable at many near returns to starting point.

JOHN W. LIPPINCOTT.

the course of suicient velocity to materially aid swimmers and afford them an endless i down stream swimming course but option- 

